The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has pledged to improve and modernise the court’s capacity to carry out investigations.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda
Bensouda has requested for increased funding to handle cases and investigations pending before the court including the Kenyan cases. The Office of the Prosecutor and other departments of the court have requested for Sh14.7 billion for the court’s operations.
The request will be approved by the ICC Assembly of States Parties meeting currently underway at the ICC in the Netherlands. “We want to be able to carry out deeper investigations to meet the required threshold of proof,” Bensouda told the ASP meeting at the World Forum Conference Centre at The Hague, Netherlands.
President of the ASP Tiina Intelmann said in the last one year they have used Sh12.4 billion. The court’s operations will cost an additional Sh2.3 billion in the next year.
“The office of the prosecutor has asked for more money and that will definitely make them perform better,”she said. She said the success of the court depends on cooperation of state parties.
ASP members have suggested different amendments to Rome Statute but she said the amendments have to be according to provisions in the statute. “Its a process that will take some time. It will be discussed and examined thoroughly by member states,” said Tiina.
The amendments will have to go through the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. However other rules of the court if amendment could take effect almost immediately.
She said the court was a legal process which could not please everyone “Its not able to have only friends,”she said. Tiina said the AU was a collective political body involving both members and non members of the ASP.
The ASP President said they encourage states to continue with the debate on the ICC. ”We are open to debate ofcourse considering that AU is not a state party but has members who are also members of the ASP,”she said.
MATHEWS NDANYI FROM THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – The Star
